A teacher at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station

Roger Radoux, an electronics teacher at the Athénée Royal d'Ans and the winner of the second Polar Quest contest, will spend five weeks at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station during this 2014-15 BELARE season. During his stay at the station, he will be in regular communication with Belgian students to help them learn about the technical aspects of the station, as well as the variety of the different scientific projects (glaciology, atmospheric sciences and Earth sciences) taking place at the station.

During the first phase of the project, students were asked to make a project proposal and present their ideas in a video. Five classes from five different schools made it to the Polar Quest final, held in Brussels on the 14th of May 2014, at which an expert jury selected the project conceived by students from the Athénée Royal d'Ans.

All students who participated in the Polar Quest contest were highly enthusiastic, and found highly creative solutions to manage energy more efficiently in their school.

Some of the solutions the winning team from the Athénée Royal d'Ans came up with include:

Having students insert and remove a card to switch computers on and off, to avoid computers being left on when not in use

Automatic light dimmers that adjust the electric lights in the classroom in relation the amount of ambient light outside

Constructing a wind turbine that will eventually provide energy for the school using recycled components

Installing LED panels to replace inefficient incandescent lighting in the IT classroom

Designing a solar-powered carport for electric bicycles

During the five weeks he will spend at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, Roger Radoux will also be constantly in touch with his students via Skype to share what he learns about the way energy is produced using wind turbines and solar panels, and how energy use is managed using the station's smart microgrid.

Other students and teachers will be able to follow the project and benefit from all the resources Mr. Radoux creates during Polar Quest via EducaPoles, as well as through the websites of the Athénée Royal d'Ans and Roger Radoux's personal blog.